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| Accession # | 69.8 |
|---|---|
| Artist | Norman Rockwell |
| Title | The Tattoo Artist |
| Date | 1944 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 43 1/8 x 33 1/8 in. (109.5 x 84.1 cm) Frame: 49 x 39 x 3 in. (124.5 x 99.1 x 7.6 cm) |
| Signed | Signed lower right: "Norman / Rockwell" |
| Credit Line | Gift of the artist |
| Location | Visible Storage: Case 24, Screen M (Paintings) |
| Description | Reproduced on the cover of "The Saturday Evening Post" (March 4, 1944). |
Curatorial Remarks: Norman Rockwell’s naturalistic style, charming characterizations, and easily legible narratives of small-town life made him America’s most beloved illustrator. While his images are generally perceived as straightforward reflections of American life, they frequently demonstrate greater complexity. The Tattoo Artist, for example, subtly alludes to contemporary aesthetics—in particular, modernism’s interest in decorative patterns and the flatness of the picture plane—by suspending the figures in front of a wallpaper-like background of tattoo designs.
